Liquefaction handpiece
AssigneeAlcon Manufacturing, Ltd.
InventorsGLENN SUSSMAN, THOMAS G. CAPETAN, DONALD M. COHEN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A surgical handpiece having at least two lumens mounted to a body. At least one lumen is used for aspiration and at least one other lumen is used to inject heated surgical fluid for liquefying a cataractous lens. A portion of the second lumen is enlarged to form a pumping chamber. The pumping chamber works by boiling a small volume of the surgical fluid. As the fluid boils, it expands rapidly, thereby propelling the liquid downstream of the pumping chamber out of the second lumen. The pumping chamber may use any type of heater, such as a resistive heater or an induction heater. The handpiece may also contain other lumens for injecting relatively cool surgical fluid
Claims17
A liquefaction handpiece, comprising:
- a) a body having an irrigation lumen;
- and
- b) a pumping chamber attached to the irrigation lumen, the pumping chamber having a pair of electrodes that allow electrical current to flow across the electrodes when a surgical fluid is contained within the pumping chamber.
A liquefaction handpiece comprising:
- a) a body having a first irrigation lumen, a second irrigation lumen and an aspiration lumen, and
- b) a pumping chamber having a pair of electrodes across which electrical current will flow, the electrodes being attached to the first irrigation lumen.
A liquefaction handpiece, comprising:
- a) a body having a hollow interior, a first irrigation lumen and an aspiration lumen mounted within the hollow interior;
- and
- b) a pumping chamber having a pair of electrodes across which electrical current will flow, the electrodes attached to the first irrigation lumen.
A liquefaction handpiece, comprising
- a) a body having a first irrigation lumen and an aspiration lumen;
- and
- b) a pumping chamber attached to the first irrigation lumen, the pumping chamber having an internal heating element capable of boiling a surgical fluid contained within the pumping chamber.
A liquefaction handpiece, comprising:
- a) a body having a first irrigation lumen and an aspiration lumen, and
- b) a pumping chamber attached to the first irrigation lumen, the pumping chamber having an external heating element capable of boiling a surgical fluid contained within the pumping chamber.
A liquefaction handpiece, comprising:
- a) a body having a first irrigation lumen, and
- b) a pumping chamber attached to the first irrigation lumen, the pumping chamber capable of producing pressure pulses with
- i) a force of between 0.03 grams and 30 grams,
- ii) a rise time of between 1 gram/second and 3,000 grams/second and
- iii) a frequency of between 1 Hz and 200 Hz.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.